Fine motor assessment in upper extremity using custom-made electronic pegboard test

Abstract

A fine motor test involves the manipulation of smaller objects with fingers, hands, and wrists. This test is an integral part of the evaluation of an upper extremity function. Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT) is one among such tests which assess the ability to manipulate pegs with the thumb and finger. There is a need to develop a fine motor assessment tool which is reproducible and mimics closely the natural movement of hands. The aim of this work is to develop an electronic pegboard which is easy to administer and efficient in terms of time. Pegboard device is modified and standardized by (1) Adding electronic circuits to custom-made pegboard and programmed using a microcontroller (ATmega2560), (2) Following a specific sequence in placing and picking the pegs from the board, and (3) Using Infrared sensor and robust algorithm to ensure one peg movement at a time. The setup is administered on 15 healthy participants (nine females, six males aged between 21 and 80) and the outcome is compared with the results of traditional NHPT. Predefined sequence in moving the pegs and electronic timer features provide reliable results for repeated measurements and facilitate storing test score in a digital repository. This data could be used as reference data during the follow-up visits. The maximum difference between the measured timing between the present setup and traditional NHPT is about 6.7%. It is important to note that, due to inherent delay (response time) in the traditional NHPT, when compared to present setup the measured timing is always on the higher side. Nondependency on the manual stopwatch to record the time and hands-free of any wearable device are the advantages of the present setup.

Development of an Electric Pegboard (e-Peg) for Hand Dexterity Improvement and Cognitive Rehabilitation: A Preliminary Study

“…First, the system can assess not only a motor task, but also a motor-cognitive dual-task as an all-in-one test. Some similar digital pegboards with precise automated time calculation [17,18] aimed only at assessing dexterity based on the conventional pegboards. Petrigna et al [26] have reported that the 25-hole GPT, which involves placement of keyhole-shaped pegs, performed in a dual-task situation is a feasible test to evaluate manual dexterity.…”

“…Recently, some studies reported epochal digital devices. A custom-made electronic pegboard test using an infrared sensor and microcontroller based on the NHPT [17] and a prototype of an electronic version of the GPT [18] have been developed. These electronic pegboards automate precise time calculation, but they were based on traditional pegboards and only focused on hand manipulation assessments.…”

Exploring the Impact of an Interactive Electronic Pegboard on Manual Dexterity and Cognitive Skills of Patients With Stroke: Preliminary Analysis (Preprint)

“…In this initial experimental trial, none of the participants were able to complete the tasks within the designated time, suggesting that there is room for improvement in terms of the time settings of the prototype. In the next phase of study, we plan to focus on refining and enhancing these aspects [41,42].…”

Clinical Utility and Usability of the Digital Box and Block Test: Mixed Methods Study

“…Accidents, injuries, or diseases can lead to limitations in hand function, which need to be assessed in the health care setting. Hand assessment involves a systematic evaluation to quantify and assess the quality of a person’s hand function [ 2 ].…”